Sir Jim Ratcliffe could look to replace Erik ten Hag with Graham Potter when he takes control of football operations at Manchester United, according to reports.

The INEOS billionaire is thought to have met with the former Chelsea head coach, as per the Sun, and rates the ex-Brighton coach highly.

Mail Sport reported that Ratcliffe is not currently considering sacking Ten Hag, but will reasses the situation should Man United fail to turn around their disappointing form.

The Red Devils crashed out of European competition following a dismal 1-0 defeat by Bayern Munich at home on Tuesday night, and are also out of contention for the Carabao Cup after losing to Newcastle.

Although Man United currently sit sixth in the Premier League table, their uneven form suggests that their position is a precarious one.

Graham Potter is thought to be Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s first-choice candidate to coach Man United

Erik ten Hag has overseen a turbulent campaign thus far, and his side currently sit sixth

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is preparing to take control of football operations at the club with his takeover

Ratcliffe is preparing to purchase a 25 per cent stake in the Manchester club worth £1.3bn, which will give him control of football operations at Old Trafford.

Since being handed his marching orders from Chelsea amidst a turbulent season at Old Trafford in April, Potter has turned down a number of opportunities to return to coaching.

In late November, Potter was thought to have been offered the job as Sweden’s national team coach, after previously enjoying a successful stint with Swedish outfit Ostersunds.

Potter lead Ostersunds to three promotions in five years, and oversaw their Swedish Cup victory in 2017.

The club then embarking on a memorable run in the Europa League, where the club reached the knock-out stage before eventually falling to Arsenal.

Potter has not taken up a role since being sacked by Chelsea in April 2023 amid a torrid season

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Should Ratcliffe been keen to install Potter at Old Trafford, it might not mark the first time that the former Brighton head coach has caught the eye of his INEOS sporting group.

In May, Potter was thought to have been singled out as the preferred candidate to take over at Ratcliffe’s Ligue 1 side Nice following the departure of Didier Digard.

Potter is believed to have had the unanimous backing of Nice’s board of directors, but the role was eventually taken up by Francesco Farioli.

The Italian coach has since transformed the Riviera club, who currently sit second in the table, just four points behind league leaders Paris Saint-Germain.